But not Forgotten
by Emerald1
Summary: Tim might have been the one injured, but who was the most damaged by the mountain experience?  Who gets a second chance at life? Whose arrival will throw the agency into a tailspin? The sequel to Left Behind takes them all on a journey they never expected
1. Chapter 1

But not Forgotten

Leon Vance opened his eyes and listened closely, trying to decide what had woken him up. Next to him Jackie was snuggled down, her arm wrapped around his waist. He heard a second noise, the sound of a car door slamming and glanced at the clock. It was past the time he usually was up, but the last few weeks had hardly been usual. Careful not to wake Jackie, he raised up enough to look out the window. He could just see the roof sign of a local cab company through the trees and then the sound of Ziva's Mini Cooper firing up. The slamming of two car doors gave him his last clue and he laid back down. Ziva had not come back alone. He guessed it was Sarah, but it was a start.

Out on the street, Sarah tightened her seat belt. Tim would tell her very little about the cases he worked, instead focusing on the humorous parts of his life. However, when he would talk about his day, Ziva's driving skills were usually at the top of that list. As the car shot forward she understood why.

"If the dorms aren't open yet, you are more than welcome to stay with me this week, Sarah."

"Thank you." Sarah took a deep breath as they squeaked through a yellow light and cut across three lanes to get on the on ramp. "But I have a key to Tim's apartment. That way I can take care of Jethro, too."

Sooner than she would have thought, they arrived at the hospital. Sarah had to almost run to keep up with Ziva's quick stride. Jackson met them in the waiting area outside of the intensive care unit, and Sarah listened in stony silence while he explained why her brother was being moved into a larger room. She wasn't overly impressed.

"While I appreciate Agent Gibbs' efforts to help my brother, I'm here now and my parents will be here shortly. Considering what put Tim in the hospital in the first place, I think he'll be more comfortable with family."

Jackson wasn't ready to give up. "Just remember, your brother has more than one family."

The raised eyebrow was apparently a family trait. "I promised my mother that I would watch my language, but she's not here yet."

"Sarah?" Ziva touched her elbow to get her attention. "Let's just concentrate on your brother right now. There will be plenty of time to sort out blame later."

"You're right, Ziva. I'll let Daddy sort that out."

-NCIS-

Kissing Jackie's cheek, Leon slid out of the warm bed and began dressing in the dark. Whichever McGee had returned with Ziva would be expecting answers.

"Leon? You going back to the hospital?"

"Yeah, baby." He bent down and pulled the blankets back up over her shoulder. "Ziva wasn't alone when she came back."

Jackie never could go back to sleep after Leon was up. "That's good, though, right?"

"I hope so, but it also means that the agency may have to start giving answers that we're not ready to give." He sat down on the bed to tie his shoes and Jackie caught his arm.

"What do you mean? I thought it was just a freak accident."

He turned and squeezed her hand. "No, it was one of DiNozzo's jokes that backfired."

"A joke, all this was over a bad joke? Now that Agent McGee has been rescued, what are you going to do about it?"

That was the question he had been avoiding for two weeks. "I don't know."

-NCIS-

"Miss McGee? I'm Dr. Gibson, I'll be your brother's primary physician while he's here. We are still assessing his condition, so would you like to see him before we talk about his long term prognosis?"

She tucked her hair behind her ears. "My parents will be here later, they should be included in that conversation and I really want to see my brother. Just tell me if he's going to be all right."

"With treatment your brother's injuries should not be life-threatening."

"But is he going to be all right?"

Dr. Gibson looked up at Ziva briefly before returning his attention to Sarah. When told that his sister had arrived, McGee had given permission to her being told the details, but the doctor didn't know who the other woman was. Jackson realized the problem and tugged Ziva further away.

Once they were alone, Sarah gave the doctor a hard look. "The details can wait for my parents to arrive, but I need to know. Worst case scenario, what can happen to my brother?"

"We try not to look at worst case scenarios here, Miss McGee."

"My daddy always taught us to prepare for the very worst. That way, in most cases, we're pleasantly surprised." For a moment she looked much older than her years. "So, Dr. Gibson, what is the absolute worst that can happen with the injuries that you are still assessing?"

Dr. Gibson realized he had no choice. "Your brother suffered from frostbite, but we won't know exactly how bad it is for some time. It depends on how much of the affected tissue dies. If the damage is deep enough... we may find ourselves in a situation where amputation becomes necessary."

She stared at him, horrified. "Are you talking about him losing a few toes? Worst case, how much could he lose?"

There was silence as Gibson studied her, but she seemed in control. "The frostbite currently extends midway to his knee on his right leg, up to his ankle on his left, but as I said, we don't know exactly how severe or deep it is. He has some more isolated spots developing on his fingertips and his ears, but I am less worried about those."

Sarah pressed her hand against her mouth as she struggled with the news, but recovered quickly. "I would like to see my brother now."

-NCIS-

"I know you're worried, Ziva, but he can't tell Sarah details if you're with her."

Ziva watched the emotions that crossed Sarah's face, using her reactions to gauge the severity of what she was being told. "Did you see him when Gibbs sneaked into his room? How was McGee?"

"It was bad, Ziva." If he were honest with himself, Jackson would never forget the sight of those bony fingers clinging to the back of Gibbs' shirt. "The boy is going to need a lot help to get past this."

"But will he ever trust us enough to let us in?" Ziva knew there was no answer and walked over to the window. The sun was just coming over the horizon, sparkling brightly on the snow.

-NCIS-

A rhythmic thumping brought George out of his dark thoughts and he looked up to see Brenda dragging two suitcases down the stairs. "Darn it all, Brenda. You know you're not supposed to do any heavy lifting." He scrambled to his feet and met her halfway down the steps to take the bags. She stormed past him without saying a word. By the time he was in the foyer, she had returned from the kitchen with her binder of family recipes, still silent. He knew what she was waiting for.

"I was wrong about Timmy. Hell, my boy's a hero."

"Oh, now he's your son."

George hung his head. "You know what I mean, Muffin. It takes some big brass ones to walk into a terrorist camp like he did."

"You going to tell him that?" She crossed her arms and waited while he gave a slow nod.

"Yeah, yeah I am. Soon as I get there. Don't suppose you can wait for me to pack some clean skivvies?"

"Bear McGee, you haven't done your own packing since our honeymoon. Your duffel bag is on the bed, but hurry up. The taxi should be here any minute."

-NCIS-

"Morning, Ducky." Tony arrived in the kitchen, rubbing his face as he tried to wake up. Abby was already there, digging through his assortment of teas. "Hey, Abs, didn't think you'd be up this soon."

"I'm always up this early, Tony. Hurry up and get ready so we can go see McGee." Having decided which tea in Ducky's stash had the most caffeine, she started a pot, extra strong. Ducky took the package out of her hands before she could add the third spoonful of tea leaves.

"Abigail, you must have patience. Just because Timothy accepted a few moments of comfort from Jethro last night is hardly any indication that all is forgiven."

"But he has to, Ducky."

Ducky looked up at Tony before returning his attention to Abby. "If only it were that simple, my dear."

-NCIS-

"Oh Tim." Sarah stared at her sleeping brother, his gaunt features and the beard giving testament to how long he'd been lost. The black patches on his skin gave only a hint at what he'd endured. From the other side of the room Gibbs was watching her brother, raised up on one elbow to better see him. She refused to acknowledge the other man before she circled around Tim's bed, drew the privacy screen and settled in to wait for her brother to wake up.

As soon as Gibbs saw the hurt and fury on Sarah McGee's face he knew she'd been told the details of how her brother ended up on the mountain. He was glad to see that at least some of Tim's family was willing to put aside their differences to help him, but Gibbs wasn't expecting to be so quickly cut out of his agent's life. Laying down, he tucked his arm under his head as he also settled in to wait.


	2. Chapter 2

a/n - I'll probably update twice a week, unless I get really far ahead. Thanks for all the reviews, it's going to be quite a journey.

* * *

A call to Ducky gave Vance a quick report on what had happened overnight, so he wasn't surprised to see Jackson dozing in the waiting room. Letting the elderly man rest, Vance sat next to Ziva. "Was it Sarah that came back with you?"

If she was surprised by his knowledge, she didn't show it. "She is with her brother now. Only family is allowed to visit while he's in intensive care."

Vance knew that McGee could add non-family to his visitor list, but as long as Gibbs was in with him, he wasn't too worried. "What was your impression of McGee's parents? Any chance you got through to them?"

Ziva smiled, despite her worry. "They were a..." she paused, trying to find the right word, "a surprise. He is Bear, she is Muffin, and he calls McGee his little cub."

"His little cub?" Vance couldn't help but grin. Jackson opened his eyes as he listened to the conversation. Ziva smiled wider as she shook her head.

"They were nothing like I imagined. I do not believe that his father had any idea that McGee even was a field agent. He thought his son worked at a computer all day and never left the office."

"According to his records, McGee hasn't been a case agent for years, and except for when I had him in cybercrimes, he's never been totally out of the field. Why would his father make that kind of assumption?"

"I believe McGee encouraged it, but I am not sure I understand why. His sister told me that he still emails with his mother, despite what his father said to him, but he did not want his mother to worry about him being in danger. I do not know why he never told his father more about his work with NCIS. Agreed, much of what we do is classified, but George knew nothing about a single case."

"The relationship between a father and his son can get pretty damn complicated, Ziva." Both Ziva and Vance looked up when Jackson joined the discussion. He gave Vance a pointed look. "You've got a boy of your own, if he was doing something you thought was dangerous, you'd stick your head in it, right?"

"Jared is still a child." Even as he protested, Vance started to understand. "You believe his father still thinks of him as a child?"

"His little cub?"

Vance shook his head. "Point taken, guess we'll play it by ear."

-NCIS-

When the cab dropped George and Brenda McGee at the departures gate, Bear just shoved a wad of bills at the man and told him to keep the change. He went straight for the first ticket counter and demanded a flight to DC. Brenda was soothing nerves before he even finished talking. "Please, don't mind my husband. Our son is in a hospital and we have to get to him."

Bear rubbed his face before dropping his ID and credit card on the counter. "Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry. Quickest flight, I don't care what it costs."

That startled Brenda. In all the years they'd been married, he'd never once made a purchase like this without haggling over the price. She rubbed his back as they waited for the ticket agent to work her magic on the computer. "We'll get there soon. I know how much you hate to fly when you're not in the cockpit."

The pretty blonde made small talk as she typed in their information. "So you're a pilot?"

"Spent half my life as a Navy fighter pilot." A pained look crossed his face. "Most of my son's life, too."

The printer started spitting out their boarding passes. "I've got you on a direct flight, leaves at gate B5 in twenty minutes, but we're holding the flight to give you time to get through security. All that was left was first class, so I've given you a complimentary upgrade." Much to her surprise, Bear leaned across the counter and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you, darlin'. It's too bad my boy's already spoken for."

They were already settling into their seats when Brenda turned to him. "What do you mean, our Timmy's spoken for?"

-NCIS-

"Hey, big brother, you ready to wake up for me?"

It took a minute for his eyes to clear, and then he smiled. "Sarah, you're really here? They told me, but I couldn't stay awake... sorry."

Sarah gently brushed his hair back. "It's okay, Tim, you've been through something awful. You need your rest."

"How'd you..."

"I was home when Director Vance called Daddy to tell him you were in trouble. Daddy had just spent the morning with Uncle Denny, so you know what kind of mood he was in. He wouldn't talk to him, so I called back later. He explained that you were trapped up on a mountain and they were trying to rescue you. After you were safe, Ziva came and made Daddy listen to why you didn't come home when Mama was sick"

"What?" Tim tried to sit up, but Sarah pushed him back down. "But that means..."

"Daddy now knows you're not stuck behind a desk all day. Mama, too. I flew back with Ziva and she told me as much as she could about what happened to you."

"Dad knows you're here?" Tim was already struggling to keep his eyes open.

"Sure does." Sarah leaned closer as he fought to stay awake. "He and Mama will be here later, after she's through showing him the error of his ways."

A soft snort. "She must be feeling better. Said she was, but I wasn't sure." He stretched and twisted his neck in an effort to stay awake and saw the drawn curtain on the other side of the bed. "Sarah, why is the curtain there?"

-NCIS-

The coffee in the waiting room wasn't great, but it was drinkable – if you added enough creamer and sugar. Vance returned to the chairs with two cups, handing one to Jackson. Ziva was staring into the cup of tea she'd fixed earlier. She looked puzzled. "Something on your mind, Ziva?"

She looked up at Vance when he spoke. "I am curious about something Mrs. McGee said to Sarah, but if it is too personal of a question..."

Now Vance was curious, also. "If it's too personal, I just won't answer, how's that?"

Ziva's mouth twitched, but she pressed on. "Is the washing of a child's mouth a common method of discipline in this country?"

Curiosity gave way to surprise and amusement, but Leon kept a straight face. "I believe it's fallen out of fashion for the most part. Jackie and I don't do that, at least not yet. Let's see just how mouthy they get as teenagers."

That fit with what Ziva had overheard and she glanced at Jackson before returning her attention to Vance. "So it is usually a punishment for foul language? Is it effective?"

Jackson cut in, laughing. "I'll just say that Leroy only sassed his mama once."

Vance took refuge behind his cup, not wanting to imagine that scene.

-NCIS-

Sarah bit her lip, unsure of her decision in light of Tim's panicked tone. "It's okay, Tim, I'll open the curtain back up." She heard a rustle from the other bed as she stood, and wasn't surprised to see Gibbs climbing out of bed when she pushed the curtain back against the wall.

Gibbs had deliberately not listened to the siblings, but the change in McGee's tone had him tossing back the blankets before he even thought about it. "Easy, Tim, I'm right here." After his little excursion, the nurses had taken his slippers and clothes, so he held his gown tightly in the back as he walked barefoot across the floor. "I'm here, and I'm not leaving; no more broken promises." Mindful of the blackened fingertips, Gibbs grasped Tim's hand and waited for him to relax. As Sarah watched, her brother instantly calmed and within a few moments was back asleep.

"I'm sorry, closing the curtain was childish."

"You're angry, that's understandable." Gibbs gratefully sat in the chair that Sarah moved for him, never letting go of McGee's hand. "I'm not asking you to forgive, just don't let your anger at us hurt your brother."

She stared at her big brother. More gaunt than she could ever have imagined, he looked fragile enough to shatter. "I just don't understand how this happened. How could anyone think this was funny?"

Gibbs shook his head as he tried to explain. "It wasn't supposed to be like this and if it's any consolation, the guilt is tearing DiNozzo apart."

The arrival of a nurse caused Sarah to fall silent and they both watched as she carefully measured the spread of the blackened skin, taking photographs and making notations in his chart. Sarah gasped as the nurse moved the blankets back to expose the metal cage that was protecting Tim's lower right leg. The lack of body fat made the swelling and distortion even more pronounced. "Is it broken?"

The nurse gave her patient's sister a sad smile. "I'm afraid so. The doctors can give you more information, but it looks like it started as a hairline fracture that he kept putting weight on, not that he had any choice, poor thing. This will protect his leg until we can set the bone properly."

Gibbs couldn't take his eyes off the damaged limb. His medical proxy had been reinstated, but he hadn't been able to talk to the doctors yet. "When will that be?"

"After this much of a delay, the bone will have to be surgically re-broken and then set. For that, they need viable tissue at the incision site." Her patient was asleep, so she decided to be blunt with the older man, as the young woman already knew. "There's no point in putting him through that if we can't save the leg."


	3. Chapter 3

Ziva looked up and smiled when the elevator opened. "They are here." She met Tim's parents at the waiting room door, accepting a hug from his mother before introducing them. "George and Brenda McGee, this is Leon Vance, the Director of NCIS and Jackson Gibbs. His son is our team leader and was injured during Mc... Tim's rescue."

They all shook hands, but it was Brenda that was the family spokesperson. "Thank you so much. We don't know much about our son's work with your agency, but we are so grateful he has a team that was willing to save him despite the risks."

She didn't seem to notice the awkward response, but Bear watched the subtle interplay closely. "I'll want a full briefing of what happened to my boy, but first, his mama and I'd like to see him."

"Of course." Vance stepped away to let the staff know that the McGee's had arrived while Jackson tried to make small talk. "I'm glad to see you here, it'll mean a lot to Tim. He's a good man, I know Leroy considers him a real asset to the team and felt real bad about what happened."

Bear watched him carefully. "You have us at a disadvantage then, sir. So far all we know is that our cub got hurt, but you folks seem pretty uncomfortable for some reason."

"Now, Bear, Timmy wouldn't want you grilling Mr. Gibbs." Brenda patted his arm before turning her attention to Jackson. "Have you met out son?"

"Please call me Jackson, and yes, I have met Tim. Like I said, you've got a fine boy there."

Vance returned with a nurse. "Mr. and Mrs. McGee, Lt. Johnson will take you back to see Tim. Ziva, why don't you take Jackson down to the cafeteria and make sure he eats. I'll be back later, but call my cell if anything changes."

Most of their luggage was left in the waiting room, but Brenda picked up one of her bags that Bear left in the corner.

-NCIS-

Lyle Hopper slammed the phone down in frustration. "Charlie, get in here!" A heavy-set, balding man came in through the door. "That damn fed was rescued alive. Figure out why he stayed behind when the rest of them pulled out. What was he up to?"

"I thought King was supposed to take him out?"

"He was, so find out what happened. No screw-ups this time, you hear me? If they found out more than we wanted them to..."

"I'm on it, Mr. Hopper."

-NCIS-

Before she left, Tim's nurse woke him again. "I know you're tired, Tim, but I need to know how your pain levels are."

His forehead creased in concentration. "Umm, not too bad."

Gibbs was still staring at Tim's blackened leg. "No time to be stoic, McGee. If you're hurting, let them help you."

"Everything just kinda throbs."

She checked one of the machines next to the bed. "You're getting a steady amount of morphine, but if you're hurting, just press the button on the pump. Don't worry, it won't let you have too much." With that she pulled the blankets back into place and left the room, holding the door open for one of her colleagues.

Sarah looked past the new nurse and smiled. "Tim, look who's here."

He smiled for what felt like the first time in weeks. "Mom, Dad, you're here."

"Timmy." His mother came closer, giving Sarah a quick hug before she turned all of her attention to her son. "My poor baby boy." She immediately started fussing with his pillows and blankets. Bear came up to the bed on the other side. Gibbs moved back to give him room when Tim let go of his hand to reach for his father.

"Hey, Cub." Just like when his son was little, Bear cupped the side of his head as he kissed his forehead. Still bent down, he took the opportunity to whisper in his ear. "I'm sorry, son, I should have listened to you." Straightening, he took a better look at Tim before turning to Sarah. "Frostbite? How?"

Sarah found herself tearing up at the expression on their father's face. "He was trapped up on a mountain for two weeks, Daddy, alone."

"Oh, Timmy." Brenda brushed her hand over his hair. "I can't imagine, you must have been so scared, but we're here now and we're going to take such good care of you." She reached down for her bag, and with Sarah's help spread out a faded blue blanket over him.

Tim was barely awake still, but his fingers brushed the worn satin trim as he smiled. "You remembered."

Feeling like an intruder, Gibbs quietly moved back to the other side of the room. With Brenda's entire awareness wrapped up in her son, Bear joined him a moment later. "You must be Gibbs."

The Senior Agent shook the offered hand. "Mr. McGee, I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."

"That makes two of us." Gibbs knew he was being studied and just waited. A moment later, George continued. "Jarhead?"

"Yes, sir." On one of the long nights after Tim went missing, Gibbs had done a little checking on the senior McGee. George "Bear" McGee retired as a Lieutenant Commander after a long and extremely colorful career as a naval aviator, ending as CAG aboard the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.

Apparently satisfied with what he saw, George turned back to watch his wife as she fussed over Tim. "Brenda tells me I was so busy trying to make a man out of the boy, that I missed seeing it happen. Looks like she was right, and I'm pretty sure you had a lot to do with those last few steps."

Gibbs started to object, feeling very uncomfortable with any praise from the senior McGee, but Bear kept talking.

"This may be a civilian operation, but you're still my son's commanding officer and there's a lot of respect that goes with that. Now, I don't know what went wrong that put my boy up on some God-forsaken mountain alone for two weeks before anybody could rescue him, but I have a sneaking hunch that I'm gonna want to kick your ass when I do find out. Before we get to that point, I just want to say thank you for rescuing him."

The offered handshake was a surprise, but Gibbs accepted it, knowing that the volatile man would, indeed, be furious when he learned the details. "I appreciate that, sir. It's been an honor watching Tim mature into a fine agent, but you are right, the failures that lead to his injuries are my responsibility as Team Leader."

Sarah had been quietly talking with one of the nurses and she now joined the two men. "Daddy, Tim's doctor is here. He'd like to talk to the family."

"All right, Cupcake, let's find out what it's going to take to get your big brother back on his feet."

While Bear checked on his son one last time, Sarah and Gibbs exchanged a look. Getting Tim back on his feet would require first saving his leg.

-NCIS-

Arriving just in time to use his restored proxy to join the discussion with Tim's doctors, Ducky left Tony and Abby in the waiting room. After asking which room Gibbs was now in, Abby rushed through the door, Tony trying to slow her down. "Abs, I'm not sure this is a good idea. Last night McGee didn't want any visitors."

"Well, yeah, but now the Bossman is with him. Even if he's still upset with us, he wouldn't stop us from seeing Gibbs, now would he?"

Unconvinced, Tony followed her down the hall. Ducky had warned them both last night that accepting what they had done and forgiving them would be two separate issues for McGee. Apparently Abby had decided to ignore all of Ducky's warnings and advice and just bully her way through his defenses. The least he could do for his teammate was to pull her back if needed, and he was pretty sure it was going to be needed.

-NCIS-

Once the McGees left, Gibbs returned to his post next to his sleeping agent. Even asleep he looked pained and restless, clutching at the blanket his mother had brought. Gibbs rested his hand over Tim's less damaged one and he immediately stilled. "Easy, Tim, you're not alone."

Focused on McGee, Gibbs didn't notice their arriving company until the door opened, startling Tim awake. They both looked up as Abby clomped into the room.

"Hey, look, McGee's awake. I told you, Tony."

For his part, Tony saw the expression on Tim's face and grabbed Abby's arm, preventing her from moving closer to the fragile man. "Abs, cool it. Hey, Boss, we just wanted to see how McGee was doing, but maybe it would be better if we didn't stay."

Gibbs not only saw, but felt Tim's withdrawal. "Yeah, Tony, I think that would be for the best."

Abby twisted free of Tony's grasp. "Okay, then I'll just visit with Gibbs. I won't even talk to McGee, in fact, we'll close the curtain and he won't even have to see us."

Gibbs stood and joined them at the door, but if Abby was expecting to get her way, she was sadly mistaken as he gently pushed her back through the door while Tony pulled from behind. "No, Abs."

"But, Gibbs."

"No."

"Gibbs!"

"Abby, this time it has to be about what McGee needs, not what anyone else wants. Even you." He firmly closed the door, ending the conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

a/n - I just spent two days on my hands and knees painting a 45X 60 canvas floor for the drumline. It was fun working with the kids, but oh, my back and knees are going to take a few days to recover. Good thing this chapter was ready to go, I was asleep five minutes after I got home.

* * *

George and Brenda held hands as they listened to the doctor explain about their son's injuries. The frostbite they understood, but the broken leg and the shredded arm threw them for a loop.

"Wait a minute, you said that the bone was fusing together wrong, how long ago did he hurt his leg?"

Dr. Gibson glanced over at Ducky before he answered Bear's question. From what he'd pieced together, he wasn't sure if his patient had reinstated the medical proxies because he wanted to or felt he had to. "From what I've gathered, Tim suffered what he thought was a sprain sometime before the rest of his team was evac'ed off the mountain. More than likely, it was actually a hairline fracture. Continuing to walk on it certainly didn't help, but I suspect that running to save Agent Gibbs is what caused the complete break. He told me that's when he felt a sharp pain."

Brenda gave her husband's hand a squeeze. "And his arm?"

"Luckily that was an injury that happened less than a day before he was rescued. An infection has started, of course, but we were able to get him on antibiotics before the wound became septic."

"But how was his arm injured? Do we know what happened?"

"Mrs. McGee, I don't know all of the details, but apparently he had an... encounter with a mountain lion."

"A mountain lion? How on earth..." She started to cry. "My poor son."

Bear wrapped his arms around his wife. "Now, now, sweetheart. He's safe now, and we're going to make sure he has every chance to recover." He turned and gave Ducky a hard look. "I'm more interested in why the rest of the team was removed from that damn mountain and my cub wasn't."

"It was a joke, Daddy." Sarah spoke up for the first time since the conference with Tim's doctor had started. "Ziva told me what happened. It was a joke that backfired."

"A joke? This was because of someone's sick sense of humor?"

Ducky knew there were no easy answers. "Secondary transportation was already on the way, it wasn't supposed to happen like this. Timothy's teammates would never deliberately harm him."

"Well, I'm damn glad to hear that." Bear pushed the photos of Tim's injuries across the table towards Ducky. "Because if this is how his so-called teammates accidentally treat him, I'd hate to see how much damage they could do if they tried. Now, I believe it's time we have a family discussion about how to best help Tim." Nodding at Dr. Gibson, Bear stood and led his wife and daughter out of the conference room, intent on finding a decent cup of coffee and a private place to hear what Ziva had told Sarah.

-NCIS-

"She means well, McGee." If he were honest with himself, Gibbs was getting worried about the silence from the other man who hadn't even looked at him since he'd closed the door on Abby.

Tim didn't look at him as he started to talk. "Tony was just being Tony. I may not like it, but I'm used to being his walking punchline. Abby... I used my last chance to get help calling her, Boss, and she blew me off."

Gibbs didn't like where this was going. "I'm sure she didn't..."

"Of course not, because Abby can do no wrong, right?" McGee rolled onto his side away from Gibbs as best he could. "I'm tired, Gibbs."

"All right, Tim. You get some rest." He watched the younger man feign sleep for a few minutes before returning to his own bed, silently cursing the interruption that seemed to have re-broken what he'd tried to repair.

-NCIS-

After picking at their food, Ziva and Jackson returned to the waiting room, arriving just as Tony escorted Abby out from the patient area. Abby shook off his arm, not noticing their audience, still steaming at being booted from the room. "How dare McGee act like that, after all we did to get him back."

"You were in McGee's room?" Ziva studied both of them, Abby was distracting the attention from her own actions, a trait she'd noticed in the past about the other woman, while Tony just looked depressed.

"But how else are we going to see Gibbs?"

Ziva was furious. "Gibbs is there to support McGee, we should all be supporting McGee. Have you forgotten that already?

-NCIS-

Bear was determined to hear everything Sarah had learned, but feminine voices caught his attention as they passed the waiting room. He slowed down to listen, breaking out in a smile as he listened to Ziva. His grin widened as he turned to Brenda. "You hear that? Feisty little thing is going to give us beautiful, spunky grandbabies, Mama."

Sarah blinked in surprise at the sudden change in her father. "Umm, Daddy, Tim and Ziva aren't together." She wasn't sure what her father was thinking.

"Not yet, Cupcake, your big brother has to recover first." Bear reached up and taped his temple as he nodded. "Daddy knows these things. Our Miss Ziva is sweet on your big brother, she just isn't sure of herself about it yet."

"Ziva? Not sure of herself?" Sarah turned to her mother who was also smiling. "Mama, just how hard did you hit Daddy after I left?"

Brenda reached out and tucked Sarah's hair behind her ear. "Now don't mind your daddy. The support of a good woman is just the thing to encourage your brother's recovery. You heard the doctor, he's got a hard road ahead of him. Come along and tell us exactly what happened, so your daddy will know just how to fix it."

Sarah watched her parents as they continued on to the cafeteria, wondering which of the two targets would be the most upset at their meddling. One thing was certain, life was easier when their father had been in the dark about the details of all of their lives.

-NCIS-

Tony closed the door of the waiting room as Ziva and Abby continued to argue. If McGee's family were anywhere around, they didn't need to hear the discussion. Ziva shook her head. "Abby, if a stranger had ignored McGee's call for help, how would you feel about it?"

"But I didn't mean it like that."

"Do you think McGee is ready to believe that? What about his parents, how do you think they will react when they hear the details?" Ziva wasn't sure why she was so much angrier at Abby than she had been before, but once the words started tumbling out, she couldn't stop. "What happens the next time, should Tony and I trust you?"

Abby started to cry and Jackson put his foot down, stopping the argument with a sharp whistle. "That's enough, both of you. Tim will decide who and when he'll forgive. Abby, go get some sandwiches for Tim's family so they don't have to leave for lunch. Ziva, take a walk and cool off." Both women glared at him before storming off. Ziva went straight for the stairs while Abby waited for the elevator.

Once they were gone, Jackson turned his attention to Tony. "Pretty quiet there, Tony."

"What do you want me to say?" Tony dropped down onto the vinyl sofa, burying his face in his hands. "I'd give anything to take it all back. It was supposed to be a stupid joke and now I've destroyed my entire family."

Jackson sat on the arm of the sofa, straightening his bad leg out as he watched Tony closely. "Didn't think you were that conceited."

"What?" Tony looked up at him, startled.

"Don't want to share any of the blame, gotta keep it all for yourself?" The elderly man's glare had Tony wilting almost immediately.

Sometimes it was scary how much of his boss Tony saw in Jackson. "You don't understand."

"Oh, I understand more than you think." Jackson watched as Tony's gaze dropped back down to his hands. "You were an ass to one of your partners, but why didn't Tim tell you to shove it and get on the chopper anyways?"

Tony's head popped up again. "He couldn't, he was still working."

"So why didn't McGee tell the pilot to wait for him?"

"He couldn't, only..." Tony looked away again. He'd had a similar conversation with Vance, but it really hadn't helped the guilt he was feeling.

Jackson finished for him. "Only Leroy had the authority to hold that chopper and Tim's not one to stand up to him, right?" He watched Tony squirm for a minute. "You're not too good at that either, are you? I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Leroy. There's a lot to feel guilty about, I won't argue that, but if you let it control you, you'll end up driving Tim even further away."

"That's easier said than done."

Smiling, Jackson patted Tony's knee before standing. "I don't think my boy has any quitters on his team."

-NCIS-

Bear leaned back in his chair, breathing deeply. They may have found a quiet corner of the cafeteria, but it still wasn't private enough to say what he wanted. Brenda was holding his hand so tightly his fingers were going numb.

"How could they do this, Bear? How could this have happened? This is worse than..." She didn't finish, but she didn't need to.

"I know, Muffin." He tried to make her feel better. "At least I don't have to go AWOL to fix it this time."

"Daddy?" Sarah had been too young to remember any of that time, but she was aware of the aftermath.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, I learned my lesson last time. I know when to call in the big guns." It was awkward with his other hand, but George managed to get his phone out of his coat pocket. It took a few minutes to scroll through and find the right number. After two rings a gruff voice answered.

_~Davenport~_

Bear didn't waste any time. "Phil, it's George McGee. I'm calling in my marker."


End file.
